Craig Goldy to Complete Song Featuring Ronnie James Dio’s Voice

Dio guitarist Craig Goldy said he was planning to complete a song that included some vocal work by the late singer.

They’d been collaborating on the track before Ronnie James Dio's death in 2010, but didn’t get to finish it. “It was one of the proudest and saddest times in my life because at that time, Ronnie was still in Heaven and Hell,” Goldy told All That Shreds. “He was given a clean bill of health by his doctor. So his doctor said, ‘Okay, you can do anything you want to do.’ … He said, ‘I want to write with Craig.’"

Goldy said they started writing, but only "as far as one song and the vocal bridge, he never got a chance to finish. So we’re going to pick someone special. Wendy [Dio] let me write the lyrics and melody lines … and so now we’re going to find the right person to finish the song. We’ll bring it into the studio and have real drums, bass, keyboards and guitar on it. There will be Ronnie’s voice. … Ronnie wrote this material about what was going on in his life at the time. So I tell people, it’ll be emotionally difficult to listen to, but at the same time, people are going to be like, ‘This is definitely Ronnie’.”

Goldy's band Dio Disciples recently announced plans to release an album of all-new material, which drummer Simon Wright later said wouldn't sound like the older band. "Ronnie will always be with us, his spirit and all," he said. "We’ll see what the hell comes out. So far it’s sounding really good.”

Meanwhile, Julien’s Auctions announced a Dio-themed event at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe on Sept. 14 and 15. Lots on offer will include a guitar, some of Dio's stage props and clothes, a road case and a painting that was used as the cover for 1983 Dio album The Last in Line, which is expected to sell for as much as $30,000.